SriLanka Vs India One Day Match At Adelaide

Negative Approach Is Not the Hallmark of a Good Captain

India’s next match against Sri Lanka promises to be an interesting duel in Adelaide. Both India and Sri Lanka have gained confidence from their last respective encounters against Australia. Sri Lanka very nearly won the match. It was a fascinating last wicket partnership of 46 runs between the versatile all rounder Matthews and the number eleven player Prasad. In trying to go for that big shot that would have given Sri Lanka an incredible victory, Matthews holed out a catch on the boundary line. Even then, the very fact that Sri Lanka was able to push its score to near the victory target, and that too against Australia in Australia speaks remarkably about the resilience of Mahela Jeyawardane’s squad. But after the wonderful performance, Sri Lankan captain Jeyawardene issued a statement that his team did not deserve to win. It was a negative statement. A captain should always exude confidence in his team members. Jeyawardene was removed from the captaincy earlier and Sankagkara was appointed as the captain. But after Sankagkara lost the World Cup finals to India last year, Jeyawardene was once again inducted as captain. This seems to be a mistake. A negative approach is not the hallmark of a good captain.

India Proved Worth of a World Champion

But India’s victory was much more a thriller than Sri Lanka’s rearguard fight back. Having been washed out of the test series, India’s only hope to salvage prestige in this tour was to post a good performance in the triangular series. It started the series disastrously with a loss to Australia. Nobody gave India any credence in its next match against Sri Lanka. But it won that match. Even then doubts were raised by the sceptics as to whether India could repeat this victorious performance against Australia. The fact that India proved itself worthy of a World Champion that it is speaks a lot about team effort.

Team Effort Aided India’s World Cup Win

It was the team effort that took India to pinnacle of glory in the World Cup Cricket tournament held last year. Dhoni was never a success with the bat till the finals against Sri Lanka when he took command of the innings and steered his side to a thrilling victory to lift the World Cup for the second time after a gap of 28 long years. Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar – all contributed usefully for India’s success in the World Cup. The bowlers also, headed by Zaheer Khan, equally bowled well.

Why Are The Lankan Batsmen Finding Difficult To Tackle Ashwin?

This team effort and unity has resurfaced now for India. Having won Australia in Adelaide, India starts as a favourite in tomorrow’s match against Sri Lanka. It is really a surprise that Ravichandran Ashwin, who was mercilessly slaughtered by the Australian batsmen like Warner, Ponting, Clarke and Hussey brothers was able to torment the Sri Lankan batsmen and could capture three wickets. In addition, Ashwin also contributed with his bat along with Jadeja to steer India to victory in the end to win the coveted man-of-the-match award. It remains to be seen whether Ashwin will be a success in tomorrow’s match also with the ball. Sri Lanka batsmen are known for their prowess in tackling turning balls on any kind of wickets and I could not understand why they failed against Ashwin.

Gavaskar Played Politics in Dropping Kapil Dev

Rohit Sharma showed glimpses of his talent in the short innings of 33 he played against Australia. In tomorrow’s match, I am expecting a big performance from Rohit, who enjoys his captain’s confidence so much. Sachin will be returning to the team after being asked to rest in the last match. The move by Dhoni attracted much criticism from the Bombay players of yester years like Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shasthri. But I support Dhoni’s action. Sunil Gavaskar dropped Kapil Dev in the Calcutta Test to deliberately prevent Kapil Dev from entering into the record books of having continuously played hundred tests. But Dhoni’s move does not have any politics associated with it and was carried out in the best interests of the team. Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shasthri should understand this difference.

I Do Not Expect Sachin’s Century

I do not expect Sachin to score his hundredth century in tomorrow’s match. In fact the fans have stopped expecting this feat from the Master long back. The only question is whether Tendulkar will contribute some useful runs to India tomorrow. Sehwag is expected to be rested for tomorrow’s match and India will be missing an explosive start which Sehwag gave against Australia. But Gautam Gambhir should compensate for it by playing another sterling knock against the Lankan lions. India should be able to tackle Malinga & Co easily and efficiently.